Exponential growth of computer networks around the world, as well as ever-increasing reliance on those networks, imposes challenging requirements on reliability of telecommunication equipment (switches, routers etc.). As such, maintaining uninterruptable operation of telecommunication equipment is an important operational requirement for manufacturers of such equipment. One technique of achieving uninterruptable operation is redundant configuration of main components of telecommunication equipment, including utilizing redundant power supply modules (PSMs) and AC power sources.
Quality of energy provide by an AC power source is often not perfect. For example, interruption of AC energy flow frequently occurs due a variety of factors, such as weather condition, overload of AC lines at peak times, etc. In the event an AC line interruption lasts longer then a hold-up time of an AC/DC power supply module (PSM) that supplies power to the telecommunication equipment, the equipment ceases operation. Many complex telecommunication devices require significant time to restart once power is restored. As a result, even a short power disruption may result in severe interruption of network traffic.
To provide redundant power feeds to an electronic device, AC distribution may include automatic transfer switches (ATSs). An ATS couples to a plurality of power feeds to one or more power supplies of the electronic device. The power supplies receive power from one of the power feeds at a time via the ATS, convert the received AC power to DC power to power up the electronic device. If power from a primary power feed becomes unavailable, the ATS quickly switches from the primary power feed to a backup power feed so that input power to the one or more power supplies is uninterrupted. This switching allows the electronic device to remain operational even when the primary power feed is unavailable.